Method for producing preview images with an inclined-plane microscope, inclined-plane microscope, and image producing device for an inclined-plane microscope

Abstract

A method for producing a preview image with an inclined-plane microscope with a tilted illumination plane include illuminating, at successive points in time, different illumination planes, which are tilted relatively to an optical axis of an optical viewing element and spaced apart from one another. The illumination planes are imaged onto a sensor with photosensitive elements arranged line-by-line. The preview image is produced by successively reading out strip-type read-out areas of the sensor, a longitudinal extension of the read-out areas being oriented parallel to the lines of the photosensitive elements, such that the preview image reproduces a viewing plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical viewing element.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for producing a preview image with an inclined-plane microscope with a tilted illumination plane, the method comprising:
 illuminating, at successive points in time, different illumination planes, which are tilted relatively to an optical axis of an optical viewing element and spaced apart from one another; 
 imaging the illumination planes onto a sensor with photosensitive elements arranged line-by-line; and 
 producing the preview image by successively reading out strip-type read-out areas of the sensor, a longitudinal extension of the read-out areas being oriented parallel to the lines of the photosensitive elements, such that the preview image reproduces a viewing plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical viewing element. 
 
     
     
       2. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein a preview strip of each of the illumination planes generated at the successive points in time is imaged on the sensor as a strip image which comprises at least one of the read-out areas. 
     
     
       3. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein one of the read-out areas is respectively read out from the sensor at the beginning of a read-out process. 
     
     
       4. The method according to  claim 2 , wherein the preview strip of each of the illumination planes is imaged on a read-out beginning of the sensor. 
     
     
       5. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the read-out areas extends over at least two sensors that can be read out separately. 
     
     
       6. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein, for producing the preview image, the read-out areas that are successively read out are corrected and/or averaged as a function of a tilt angle of the respective illumination plane with respect to the optical axis of the optical viewing element and/or as a function of a distance between illumination planes illuminated at the successive points in time. 
     
     
       7. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the sensor is displaced in order to change a position of the image of one of the illumination planes relative to the sensor. 
     
     
       8. An inclined-plane microscope, with a tilted illumination plane, the microscope comprising:
 an optical viewing element having an optical axis which is tilted relative to different illumination planes, which are spaced apart from each other and are present at successive points in time; 
 a sensor configured to image the illumination planes, the sensor having photosensitive elements arranged line-by-line and strip-type read-out areas, a longitudinal extension of the read-out areas being oriented parallel to the lines of the photosensitive elements; and 
 an image data processor with an interface configured to output a preview image, which reproduces a viewing plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical viewing element and is composed of the read-out areas which have been successively read out of an image of the successively illuminated illumination planes. 
 
     
     
       9. The microscope according to  claim 8 , wherein the sensor has at least one field of the photosensitive elements, which forms at least two of the read-out areas, which are to be read serially in a read-out direction, wherein at least one of the read-out areas is positioned at a read-out beginning of the sensor and the image of a preview strip is oriented perpendicular to the read-out direction. 
     
     
       10. The microscope according to  claim 9 , wherein at least two sensors are provided, the at least two sensors having read-out beginnings which are arranged opposite and substantially in parallel to each other. 
     
     
       11. The microscope according to  claim 9 , wherein the preview strip is imaged on the read-out beginning. 
     
     
       12. The microscope according to  claim 8 , wherein the sensor is arranged displaceably along the longitudinal extension of the read-out areas and/or along or opposite a read-out direction of the read-out areas. 
     
     
       13. The microscope according to  claim 8 , wherein the sensor rotatably arranged about a normal vector of the sensor in at least two rotational positions oriented substantially perpendicular to one another. 
     
     
       14. The microscope according to  claim 8 , wherein the image data processor comprises a correction and/or averaging device, which is configured to correct and/or average the read-out areas of the respective strip image, which are read out from the sensor by an image data read-out device at the successive points in time as a function of a tilt angle of the respective illumination plane with respect to the optical axis of the optical viewing element, and/or as a function of a distance between illumination planes illuminated at the successive points in time, so as to generate the preview image. 
     
     
       15. An image producing device for an inclined-plane microscope with a tilted illumination plane, which successively generates a plurality of illumination planes, which extend at a tilt relative to an optical axis of an optical viewing element and are spaced apart from each other, and images the illumination planes onto a sensor, the image producing device comprising:
 the sensor comprising photosensitive elements arranged line-by-line and strip-type read-out areas, a longitudinal extension of the read-out areas being oriented parallel to the lines of the photosensitive elements; 
 an image data read-out device with an output, at which the respective read-out area, of an image of the respective illumination plane is to be provided in each case; and 
 an image data processor configured to produce a preview image, which reproduces a viewing plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical viewing element, from the read-out areas which have been read out.